BZ
by werecats203
Summary: Thousands of years ago mammals lived as two groups, vicious predator, and meek prey. But there was a place where the two could sit side by side in peace, the watering hole which would soon be the birth of the great city of Zootopia. When a rabbit is separated from her family on their voyage to the sacred place she has to rely on an unlikely ally, an orphaned fox.
1. Chapter 1

The fox crouched behind the boulder carefully stalking his prey. He clutched his spear in his paw as he slipped into the high grass. He moved deftly upon the rabbit he had selected for his meal, watching as it nervously sniffed the air.

He was close now within a few short bounds and he tightened up his rear legs to pounce. The rabbit looked around as if it saw him, but he wasn't going to give it time to get away. He pounced, leaping out of the high grass and down towards the defenseless bunny. The bunny looked up and squeaked taking off through the grass and leaving the fox's spear dug in the ground. He chased after the rabbit, he was hungry and wasn't going to let it get away.

He ran after it as it ran to the base of a nearby tree. He saw it jump into a hole and he dove for it.

He was stopped in midair and quickly thrown back on the ground. In a panic, he looked behind him to see his feet caught on a vine, every time he tried to pull his leg free the vine tightened. He quickly began to tear at the vine when he heard footsteps behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see the rabbit holding a rather large rock.

There was pain and then blackness as he slumped to the ground, he was out for only a moment, but that seemed to be enough time for the bunny. It had tied his hands together with a vine and had given his snout the same treatment. He was effectively muzzled and disarmed, through his pounding head, he glared at the rabbit as it stood over him.

"Well, that didn't work out for you, did it," it said in a feminine voice. The fox snarled through his muzzle at it.

"I'm going to untie your leg, but if you try anything fox I'm awfully close to something you might not want to lose," the rabbit said, the fox gulped and watched as the rabbit walked to his legs. It pulled out a knife and cut his leg free, the fox quickly slid backward away from the rabbit until he bumped into the tree a slight hint of fear in his eyes.

The rabbit tilted its head at him and walked forward. "What are you called," the rabbit said, the fox merely blinked at it.

"I know you can speak; your muzzle does not constrict that" the rabbit again said. The fox could now see more clearly and gazed upon his captor in detail. It was a female he saw; she wore a grass skirt as opposed to his leather one with a sling around her shoulder connected to a wooden flask. She had bright purple eyes the peered at him inquisitively and an athletic body which made him a mixture of hungry and well something else.

"I am not called anything," he said through the muzzle. The rabbit looked confused.

"Did your family not call you anything, my family calls me Hops," she said, pointing to herself with the knife in her paws. The fox looked around for the family the rabbit spoke of but found none.

"I have no family," he said, and the bunny walked closer to get a look at him.

"So you are wild then, so that is what I will call you," she said, gathering rope, he was puzzled by her behavior and wished to know what she planned on doing with him.

"Why would you care what I am called," he asked, the bunny halted her task and looked at him.

"Well Wild, I am separated from my family. We were making our migration to the watering hole and I got lost," she pulled the roped over to him and putting the knife under his chin began to tie the rope around his neck. "So I need someone who has been there to lead me" she continued, "You have been there right," he nodded quickly careful not to stab himself with her knife. It was technically true, he had been there once and he knew roughly the path to get there, but he was mostly saying it because he knew it was the only reason he was alive.

The rabbit's face lit up as she hopped to her feet. She grabbed the rope and dragged him out from under the shade of the tree as she skipped her way through the field. She continued to drag him until the sun was low and they had to take shelter in the roots of a tree.

The fox sat there staring at the bunny, while his hunger was still present his urge to eat her had passed. In their day together, she had told him about herself for much of the time, of her family and her friends. She spoke fondly of the watering hole and how it was a place of peace where predators did not eat prey, where there was peace. Now that he had gotten to know her he couldn't eat her, kill her on the other paw, he could do that. And that was what he planned to do, as soon as she fell asleep.

He stared at her and she stared back at him, they had been locked in this competition of who would fall asleep first for quite a while neither wanted to give in first.

The fox knew he could outlast this bunny, but he decided on a better approach. He turned his back on the rabbit and walked in a short circle before lying down with his back turned to her. He waited, and laid there slowing his breathing, trying to appear asleep.

He stayed like this for a while waiting for his tormenter to give in to sleep. He finally heard her breathing softly and rolled so he was facing her. He brought his paws to his snout and tried the best he could to tear off the muzzle. He must have made too much noise, however as the rabbit's ears perked up and she rolled over.

He barely had time to roll over himself before she could see what he was up to. Oh well, he thought perhaps tomorrow bunny perhaps tomorrow.

The sun rose and he was awoken by a light tug on his leash. He opened his eyes to see the bunny watching the sunrise and scratching her ears. He grunted to let her know he was up, she looked at him quickly and stopped grooming. Getting to his feet, he stretched for a minute before she began to tug him along.

He eventually took the lead and she trailed behind with his spear in her paws.

"So why do you have no family, " she asked as they walked through the grass. He looked back at her as she skipped through the grass behind him, why the questions. Was it not enough that she had him by a leash that now she must torture him with her infernal yammering.

"They were eaten," he said simply and he felt a tug on the leash. He choked and glared back at the rabbit, who had just come to a stop.

"But you're a predator" she started and he laughed at her.

"Some still find us tasty," he said as he continued forward practically dragging the bunny behind him. They walked and walked his hunger growing with every passing moment, he began to think about eating the bunny again.

As they walked they came to a small creek, though small it was quite large for them and would require some effort to cross.

"We should stop to eat," the rabbit said as she reached into a small pouch in her skirt. From it, she pulled a small leaf bag full of berries.

He just stared at her as she did all this and his stomach audibly grumbled. She stared at him, obviously aware of his state of hunger, she nervously smiled.

"I will share my berries with you," she said and she moved closer "but if you try to eat anything else, I will kill you" she placed the berries down and reached towards his muzzle. She carefully untied his snout and pulled her paw back, pressing the spear into his chest. He stretched his jaw and opened wide to relax the muscles, giving the small rabbit a good look at his teeth in the process.

"Thank you," he said, sitting down cross-legged resting his still bound paws in his lap. The rabbit hopped back a little at his words before she also crouched down still very nervous.

"You sound different without the rope," she said as she placed the berries between them.

"I can breathe," he said smugly reaching for a berry, grabbing one he popped it in his mouth. The rabbit quickly grabbed one as well and ate hers never taking her eyes off the fox.

The fox then grabbed a powerful of berries and ate them all at once letting the juices slid down his throat. He laid back and watched the clouds drift along the sky. The berries were surprisingly filling and he started feeling satisfied almost immediately, he was content to watch the clouds and maybe even get to know his captor at this point. He rolled around so that he could see the bunny who was still nervously watching him.

"So bunny, what is your plan for me," he asked, "what happens to me when we reach the watering hole". The rabbit still stared at him but seemed to relax a tad.

"Well then I let you go," she said matter of factly "that is the deal". The fox grinned and tilted his head at her.

"I don't remember agreeing to this deal," he said as he watched her munch on another berry. It was a peculiar sight, she would nibble on it while glancing everywhere around her, her teeth cutting the berry quite efficiently as her tongue stuffed a little in her cheek. He found the fact he was watching his food eat amusing. Though he had to admit for a rabbit she was kind of cute. Perhaps it was her eyes, there was a fierceness in them that seemed to belong to a predator, not a mere rabbit. He wouldn't kill her he decided he would just make his escape.

"We have to cross now," she said and reached for the muzzle on the ground.

"We shouldn't bunny," he said, pointing at the sky "those are rain clouds, we need to get higher and find someplace that will stay dry," he said as he got up. The rabbit glanced up and nodded motioning to a hollow tree, he made a move towards it when she stopped him and held out the muzzle. He bent down and let her strap it on him.

They made their way up to the tree trunk with him leading the way, he entered the base to find it empty and he tugged on his leash to let her know they were safe. He went over to the far wall of the tree and nestled up against it as the rabbit entered behind him.

"Turn around," she said as she pulled a small brush from her skirt.

"Why," he said, muffled through the muzzle.

"Just do it," she said, he shrugged and rolled over so his back was to her. As he lay there he began to hear thunder but he also heard something he did not recognize. It sounded like wind blowing through the grass, but there was no grass around them.

He turned to look to see the source of the noise and his eyes locked onto the rabbit. Her back was turned to him and he saw her removing her skirt, he lowered his head and ears as she let it drop to the floor. She then took her brush and began to comb all across her body.

He felt his heart quicken as he watched the scene in front of him. He was sniffing the air quickly as if he was hunting, his brain firing every combination it could think of. He wasn't sure how he felt about this, she was food, but looking at her now eating was the last thing on his mind. He watched as she shifted her weight from one side to the other to groom each of her arms, her butt jiggled healthily as she moved. As she began to turn to get her legs he quickly turned his face and shut his eyes, trying not to think about what he had seen. Then the rain came, it came hard and loud as if voicing its displeasure of him, and he tried to sleep through it.

He woke up to the feeling of being wet, he looked around to see the entire tree was quickly filling with water. He shot up and tore at his muzzle and leash ripping them off, he threw them away, he then bit the rope tying his paws together and looked around. The water was climbing fast now, it was almost up to his knees, he glanced at the rabbit. She was frozen in fear, leaning against the far wall, he shrugged and turned around. He felt the tree and determined it would hold, he looked up to see a small opening in the top of the tree he would be able to fit through. He brought his arms up he began to climb up the tree, as he made it out of the water he heard a scurrying behind him. The rabbit had unfrozen and now he saw she was attempting to climb up after him, her lack of claws made such an act impossible, though.

"Sorry sweetheart looks like you're out of luck," he called down as he continued to climb. He glanced back and saw that the water was up to her neck now, and rising fast, he saw her frantically grasping at the side of the tree trying to get a hold where there were none. He looked into her eyes and saw the pure terror, the look he had seen so many times on his hunts, but now it struck him like an arrow. He stopped and beat his head against the tree for what he was about to do, he let go.

He fell into the water and scooped her up, tossing her behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck he began to climb again. He climbed as fast as he could though now weighed down by the weight of the rabbit. He made it to the hole and he pulled the rabbit off of him and shoved her through to the branch on the other side. He ducked through after her and grabbed her in a hug, pulling her close to cover her from the rain, he used his tail to cover all his arms and body could not.

He didn't know why he did this, but he knew he couldn't leave her to die. For some reason he now wanted to help her, he wanted her to find her family.

The storm battered against him, but he held firm, clutching to this rabbit as the wind tore against him and lightning struck the ground around them. The storm raged for another hour and at the end of it all, he was soaking wet.

As the moon came out to reveal the day had ended with the passing of the storm, he unwrapped his companion to find she had fared no better no better than he.

She was soaked to the skin and stared up at him with a peculiar expression. Nick shook off next to her as she stood there and looked at him.

"You saved me," she said, looking up at him, he smiled and looked back.

"Of course," he said "If I don't get you to the watering hole you won't let me go" he winked at her. She began to wring out her ears as she looked at him.

"Would you?" she said "would you help me get to the watering hole," she asked letting her eyes get big.

"Why of course me 'lady," he said, "But no muzzle this time," he said, pointing at her and raising an eyebrow. She nodded and smiled softly up at him before extending a paw, he took it and they shook on their agreement and their new friendship.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun slowly crested the horizon, casting its warm beams upon the most unlikely duo. Its rays softly warming the ears of the wild fox, he twitched, slowly blinking as the warmth roused him. He glanced at the bunny wrapped in his arms, they had fallen asleep on the branch wrapped together to keep warm through the night.

Had last night been real, he thought as he studied her still sleeping figure, had he really made friends with this bunny. Had he really saved her, she moaned in displeasure as his movement had hindered her own warmth and she buried her face into his chest fur.

He gained a strange enjoyment from this intimacy, though not the kind one that one would associate with mating. No, more of a feeling one gets when embraced by a family member or a longtime lover. He enjoyed it for its own sake as he had never felt such intimacy before, his own family dying when he was very young. This was a very pleasing feeling, making it all the stranger that he was sharing it with a prey.

He gently nudged the sleeping bunny with his snout in an attempt to wake her. She roused slowly and looked up at him with a short glance of confusion before it was replaced with a warm smile.

"You know, for a fox, you're alright," she said as they untangled themselves and brushed off.

He looked at her again as she ran her paws through her fur. He wondered how such a thing could exist in the form of a rabbit.

"And you are not so dumb for a bunny" he replied as he stared at the ground below. The flood had passed and left the ground, horribly muddy, he was sure they would sink. He eased his way passed her as he grabbed for the trunk of the tree. Using his claws, he slid steadily downward his companion watching with interest.

He landed on the ground below and felt his toes sink into the soft mud. He let go of the tree to see how far he would sink and the mud gave way beneath him, he sunk a few inches stopping as the mud began to swallow his knees, he looked up at his bunny friend and gave a sign of affirmation and motioned her to join him.

"I can't climb down," she called to him as she looked over the side of the branch at the ground so far below her. The fox looked up at her and walked slowly toward a spot below her.

"Jump," he called up to her "I will catch you" he promised. She hesitantly looked down again and saw the fox with open arms. Perhaps he meant it, if he had wanted her dead, she would be dead at this point. She jumped, he watched her fall and leaned to make sure he would catch her, she landed in his arms a bit harder than he expected and he almost dropped her. He held on tight however and even though he sunk a bit more he stopped her before she hit the ground.

He placed her on the ground next to him and looked at their surroundings, from what he had to guess they were a league or so off the predators path to the Hole. He planned to travel parallel to it and reach the Watering Hole by the rising of the full moon, roughly three days from then.

"Now we head towards the sun," he said, pointing with his paw, between them and their goal, however, was the now raging river before them. The bunny looked at the raging stream and back at him, her ears drooped in disappointment.

"We will never get across now," she said, looking up at him, he glanced at her and smirked and started walking along the riverbank.

"Ah, but you see bunny, I know a way across," he called back to her as she sped to catch up. She hopped alongside him looking at him curiously.

"Well, where is it," she asked after they had walked a little ways. He pointed ahead at a group of trees growing along the stream near a narrow part of it.

"It's right in those trees," he said and led them into it. As they entered the trees what they were hiding became clear. Among the trees hidden from prying eyes was a small rope bridge that would cross the stream easily even in the flood season. The bunny watched him as he walked towards the bridge and pushed on it with his foot to make sure it would still hold.

"Why did you not say this before," she called after him as she ran up behind "we could have crossed last night". He looked at her and shook his head.

"You had me on a leash last night bunny," he said "I did not want to help. I only wanted to get away," he stepped out onto the bridge at waved at her to do the same. She stepped out after him, walking close behind as they crossed the bridge.

"Well, if we are friends now, perhaps you could call me by what I am called," she said to him as they crossed the bridge.

"I do not remember what you are called," he said back, he suddenly felt the bridge rock behind him and he latched onto the sides. He looked behind him to see his companion had vanished, he frantically searched the water beneath him for any signs of her. He prepared himself to jump into the water when he heard a small cough in front of him. He turned to see his friend standing in front of him at the end of the bridge.

"Well, allow me to reintroduce myself," she said, taking a small bow, "I am Hops". He smiled at her exuberant display, thinking back on what she had called him, he made his way to the other side of the bridge.

"And I am Wild," he said as he stepped onto the ground on the other side. Hops smiled up at him as he led the way from the river.

Leaving the river behind they made their way up passed the plains on the far bank until they reached the cliffs.

"So what is your family like," Wild asked as he looked for a way up the cliff face in front of them, Hops looked up from the cactus she was poking to answer.

"Oh, very kind," she said "and large. I am one of many of my parent's children. We are like the stars there are so many" Wild chuckled as he felt for a ledge. "Though I have lost many siblings" she continued with a more mournful tone "mostly to birds. And foxes". Wild stopped and looked down, he felt guilty, why he himself had tried to eat her a mere two days ago. And yet as he looked at her in her quite reflective state he realized he hated to see her like this, and he was glad she had beaten him.

He went back to his task and found a good grip that would allow him to climb. He walked up to Hops and crouched down next to her.

"Do you think we could eat this," she said, pointing at the cactus he glanced at it and carefully touched one of the many spikes sticking from it.

"We should wait and find something when we get to the top, I found a way up, but I will need the rope," he said and she handed him the rope, he wrapped it around his shoulder and began his ascent. He reached for the ledge and pulled himself up and to the next one. He continued his rise with Hops watched him from the ground below. He pulled himself to the top and stopped to catch his breath and look around. He was greeted by more sprawling plains with a herd of mammoths walking off in the distance. He looked down to see Hops staring up at him, he smiled and threw the rope down to her.

She grabbed the rope and started walking up the cliff-side as he pulled her up. He grunted as he pulled on the rope with all his strength and helped her over the top. He stopped for a minute, lying down in the grass, he caught his breath as his friend sat next to him. She bent down and looked into his face, studying him as he stared at the sky, he stared back at her and tilted his head.

"Why are you helping me," she asked, he got up on his elbows and looked into her eyes.

"I don't know," he said "I suppose it gives me something to do," he rolled over and started to get up. He looked over the land in front of them and turned back to her.

"We have a long way to walk," he said "We should get moving," he got up and started walking towards the fields, checking behind him to see her chasing after him.

He slowed down slightly to let her catch up, but when he looked over his shoulder he saw she had frozen. She wasn't moving a muscle except for her nose that was twitching at a speed that made it hard to see.

He looked up and saw it, a giant hawk was slowly circling them and was bearing in on her. He watched as it started to zone it on Hops and move towards her. There was only one thing he could do, he ran. He ran and hopped, he shouted and flapped his arms he did everything to get the hawk's attention. It worked and the hawk shifted and dived quickly for him, he watched it streak toward him and just as it grabbed for him he leaped away from it. It missed his head and scratched his leg trying to latch on.

He snarled and swiped at it at it tumbled to the ground, it reared up and began to peck at him swiping with its own talons. As he dodged a swipe he tripped and landed on his back, he looked up to see the hawk sweep down at him and he closed his eyes at it flew it at him. Instead of feeling the pain of its talons gouging into his brain, he heard it squawk in pain and fall to the ground. He opened his eyes to see it sprawled on the ground next to him, its head split open and its brains spilled out onto the dirt.

He looked over and saw Hops standing there with an empty sling and a determined expression plastered on her face. He grinned at her and got up, brushing off his leather clothing, he looked at the hawk and his stomach growled.

"You wouldn't mind if I ate him would you," he said to Hops who shrugged. She put away her sling and pulled out a knife that she tossed to Wild.

He caught it and grabbed the bird by the legs and started walking. They walked together through the plains as the sun rose in the sky above, they stopped only when the heat became too much to continue.

They stopped and bed down in the tall grass away from the glaring sun. Wild began to cut into the bird now and eat some of the meat he sliced off, he savored the flavor. He hadn't had meat in a very long time, he cut into the breast of the bird and cut away at the best of the meat.

He glanced up and saw his rabbit companion watching him with a sort of morbid curiosity. He put another piece in his mouth and stared back at her slowing his chewing and doing his best to hide his teeth.

"I can eat somewhere else if you want me to," he said after he swallowed, she shook her head quickly.

"No, I'm fine, it's just interesting," she said as she crept forward sniffing the air. The slight hint of blood lingered in the air as he ate, he was watched closely by his companion the whole time, she followed each one of his movements. When he finished, he got up and started to head out, turning to say back to his friend.

"Since you were kind enough to catch my meal, I will go get yours," he said as he walked out. He walked carefully and silently through the grass sniffing the dirt as he went. He continued like this, sniffing and walking until he found it. He dug down and around to reveal the root he wanted, it was quite a large one and it took him a while to finally pull it out. The root was easily half his size and if cut into slices and dried it would feed his friend through the entire journey easily.

But first, he cut a small slice of it and grinding it into a paste he placed into the cut in his leg to seal the wound. He then placed the root on his back and made his way back. He arrived to find Hops asleep on the ground, as he entered, she shot up and tensed up ready to run or fight. Upon seeing it was him, however, she relaxed and then seeing the root he carried she smiled widely and helped him put it down.

Taking her knife, she quickly cut off a large slice and began nibbling on it. Smiling Wild yawned and curled up to sleep, he was exhausted, he let his eyes close and felt himself drift away.

He kissed her again and rubbed her fur tasting her lips and licking her head. She responded by petting his body and rubbing herself against him. He grabbed her long ears in his paws and nibbled on them, she licked his chest, her eyes full of joy his full of lust. And then he changed, he held her down and snarled, showing his teeth, she looked at him confused and scared as he brought his teeth down. There was a short squeak as his teeth punctuated her soft skin, holding her in his mouth he shook and broke her neck. Then he fed.

Wild leaped up from his sleep, his heart racing in his chest as he got up on his fours. He checked his paws and saw dried blood on them, the same for his snout, he could smell it. His blood ran cold and he darted his eyes around the grass den, hoping against hope that it wasn't true. His eyes fell on the still form of his friend slumped on the floor, he froze. He carefully approached softly whimpering, he stood over her and nudged her softly with his snout. She didn't budge, he brought his head back up and began to panic, he bent back down and nudged, again and again, nothing. In desperation he did something crazy and licked the side of her face, he didn't know why he did but she finally moved. She wiped her face and sat up to see him looking down at her with a face full of fear and concern.

As she looked at him with confusion as he quickly scooped her up in his arms and hugged her. She hesitantly returned the hug even more confused than before.

"I would never hurt you," he whispered as much to himself as to her. She fully returned his embrace and buried her face in his neck to comfort him. When he finally broke, he turned and moved to the door.

"We should go now," he said as he walked out into the night.

The moon was at its highest as they left their den taking with them their conflicting emotions and a few bags of root. Wild walked on in silence leading his friend to her family, a family of creature he was designed to kill.

He kept walking deep in his own thoughts, what was he doing, what did he want. What was he feeling, how had this bunny gotten so close to him in such a short time? He wanted to protect her as a sister, to treat her as a friend, and to know her as his mate. He was lost, he didn't know what was wrong with him and he burned in his gut from worry.

He perked up to a nudge on his arm, he looked down to see her looking up at him. He looked her with the best neutral face, he could muster, he beckoned her to say what she wanted to.

"What is wrong Wild," she asked, he smiled and shook his head.

"I'm fine," he said and kept walking.

"No, you're not," she said "You haven't been this quiet since you were muzzled" she added. He looked down again.

"A muzzle I might add you put on me," he said, she looked down and grabbed one of her ears.

"I'm sorry about that," she said, stroking her ear.

"You did the smart thing bunny" he paused for a second "I would have eaten you" he became quiet again. Hops grabbed his paw and held it, he looked down at his paw and then at her. His face twisted with confusion.

"But we are friends now," she said "what we did before does not matter," he stopped and kneeled down to look into her face gripping her paw tightly. He studied her face, she was different, in all the other rabbits he had seen all he had seen was stupidity and fear. Not in her, no, in her he saw a fierce determination and a cunning mind. Her eyes betrayed a fierce spirit, the spirit of a predator, if only.

"You were not supposed to be a bunny," he said to her and he rose to start walking again, "Let us go friend" he continued "and find your family".

He had figured it out, it was him all along. As always he was doing this for himself, it was his family he was trying to find. He had lost his and now so had she, maybe when they found her family he would find his answers.

They walked on through the night the darkness veiling them from the world. Hiding their strange friendship, the friendship of predator and prey. Shielded in the darkness, in his natural world, Wild let his eyes wander. He looked at his companion a creature he should see as food and yet even though a mere three days ago, he had tried to eat her the same thought now made him sick.

He stared as she blindly followed next to him, trusting him. But did she really? She was, after all, no ordinary bunny and while she might trust him, perhaps he had given her reason, what had he done to earn such trust. The more he studied her the more he admired her, both her mind and her body were sharp and sleek. She was attractive he had to admit, had she been a fox he would have made a move a very long time ago. He grinned to himself if she had been a fox he probably would have tried to make her his mate.

He realized something else much to his own amusement, if this bunny were to mate and have a litter that inherited her intellect, then hunting would definitely become much more difficult. Not that it would affect him, he had already decided he would stop hunting rabbits.

He looked at her again and saw she was about to step into a hole in front of her, hidden in the shadows. He reached out to her and pulled her away from it, guiding her gently towards him, he placed her paw on his arm.

"Perhaps you should hold on to me, " he said softly to her and he saw her nod as she grabbed tightly onto his arm.

He looked her up and down again if only she had been born a fox, he thought. Leading her on, he continued to think as her mind busied itself in its own thought.

Would this fox keep his promised, she thought, he had saved her life on two occasions now, was it because he cared or was it something else. She felt the arm, she now clutched to as he led her on, he was much stronger than her if he wanted he could probably eat much of her family without much effort. Was that his plan, was she is leading him straight to a buffet. She shook her head, no one would break the sacred truce and commit blasphemy not even a fox, then they would never be born again.

She again felt his arm, it was strong, but his grip was light if she were to cry out now she was sure he would loosen it further. His face, though she could barely make it out now by the light of the moon was sharp and determined, he stared forward towards his goal. He walked with a quick and confident stride as if daring whatever was in front of him to try and stop him. She found him intriguing and as she looked at him she tried to imagine him as a rabbit, the sight of him with long ears and practically no tail that popped in her head, however, made her softly giggle.

She must admit though he was very attractive, for all the wrong reasons. Rabbits usually chose their mates on who was the one best at avoiding a fight or getting away from danger, for who could settle. He was the opposite for sure, he was built to be aggressive, to charge headlong into danger as he had with the hawk and she found it compelling. If he was a rabbit he would be a fighter, a leader, and quite the catch, she thought, looking him over, yes if he was a rabbit she would try.

They walked on through the night each deep in their own thoughts, though their thoughts were the same. They walked on toward their goal neither knowing what lay waiting for them at the end of their great journey. For as they drew closer and the moon grew fuller with each step they only thought of the next one and what dangers lay for them the next day.

Though Wild wished as he again looked at his friend, that perhaps their journey could be just a bit longer. That he could enjoy the company of this bunny just a few days more, he didn't want it to end. What would he say when it was all over, how would he say goodbye? He stared at the moon as it drifted lazily through the sky, indifferent to the plight of mere mortals and he wanted to ask it to freeze. He wanted the stars and the sun to use their powers to alter the sea of time so he could send another day another hour with her.

Would it be blasphemy to care for her, he thought. Would it be heresy to help her? Would it be a sin to love her? He turned to the moon and received no answer. If it were, then why was he, why had he grown so fond of her in such a short time. Why had the fates found it right to put them together if only to tear them apart? What was the plan, the purpose, he looked again at her and caught her looking up at him, she looked quickly away and he did as well.

What would he think, she wondered, if he knew I was thinking such blasphemous thoughts? He would be disgusted, she knew that, that a prey wanted him, he was a predator after all she was a rabbit, food to him. Helping her was one thing, but to care for her would be ridiculous.

So, on they walked wrestling with the same question, both seeking the same answer. And both ignoring the answer they sought so dearly. They had grown close in their time together, far closer than any predator and prey ever had. Such a thing was unknown and so it was feared by them, their traditions and teachings had never spoken of such a thing. Yet, as they walked each of them slowly tightened their grip on the other and as they walked they grew closer and closer. Their hearts and bodies answering the question in their minds were too afraid of.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose in front of them as they walked, its rays warming their bodies that the night had left cold. Wild squinted as the light pressed against his sensitive eyes, he placed his hand in front of his face to try and block the hurtful rays. The temperature started to rise with the sun as the frost from the night before began to melt in small pools on the ground.

The grass around them collected small puddles at the base which the ground greedily soaked up. In the distance, they could see the trees growing along the banks of the great river, the river that would lead them on to the Watering Hole.

Wild brushed through the tall grass looking out upon the large waving plains, which glistened an orange light as the breeze blew through it. He made his way up a nearby hill though in actuality it was more of a slight rise, barely three times his height, but it gave him the view he wanted. Hops followed close behind and looked out upon the landscape for the first time, it was beautiful.

The great golden plains waved like a mighty ocean as small bands of migrating mammals could be seen walking through it. The sun cast a glow upon the land that made it look as if it was a great fire, twisting and burning relentlessly. It was as if a great beast was waking and lumbering forward, she looked up and Wild who was stuck in a trance by the majesty of it all.

His eyes glistened the color of the sun and his fur waved like a flame all its own. He stood there sinking in the power of the sun as he felt his own tiredness advance upon him, he felt the soft dirt between his toes and the rocks as they stabbed lightly against his feet. He sat down and rubbed the dirt around him, feeling it in his paws before lying down to face the sky.

He watched the morning clouds as they streaked orange and gold through the air, he let his eyes get heavy.

"Are we going to rest here" came Hops's voice, a slight annoyance present in it, he opened his eyes and stared at her. She was standing by his side with her paws on her hips and despite the tone of her voice. he could tell she too was tired. They had walked all night through the dark and her eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

"If you wish to continue we shall, but a morning like this should not go to waste" he answered as he brought his torso up on his paws. He twisted his head at her and patted the ground beside him, she looked at him for a moment tapping her chin with her paw. He smiled mischievously and rubbed out a circle in the dirt next to him, she rolled her eyes and finally walked over. She sat down next to him and leaned back looking up at the sky, he looked her over and smiled lifting his tail he draped it over her body.

"Well I could have used this last night," she said, not pushing his tail away but drawing in close and wrapping herself in it. "Why I do say I might look good in a fox coat" she teased drawing from him an amused smile.

"I think you look delicious in my tail," he said flicking the tip of it and tickling her ear. She grabbed his tail and wrapped in further around her neck like a scarf and looked at him blinking slowly.

"Do I really Wild, would you eat me in this?" she asked with a small smile. He scooted closer as he let her continue playing with his tail, he closed the small distance between them and laid down facing her.

"I wouldn't eat you," he said admiring her, she put on a look of mock offense.

"Do you think I would taste bad?" she asked as she also laid down to face him. As they laid there looking into each other's eyes he smiled and placed a single finger on her nose.

"I'm sure you taste amazing," he said "Which is why I'd be a fool to eat you" he smiled at his pun before drifting off into sleep. Hops stared at him as he began to breathe softly wondering over his words, what had he meant, surely it was not. She looked him over again as he slept, in the light of day she had a much better view and she was enjoying it. His fur was soft and warm, pulling her into a close embrace, she ran her fingers through his tail and he smiled in his sleep. She continued to pet his tail and watch as he smiled and moaned in pleasure, she felt the softness of his fur and cracked her own smile burrowing her head in it as she too drifted to sleep.

Wild awoke as midday approached but the sun had been replaced by ominous dark clouds, they would have to seek a shelter soon. He looked over to find Hops buried in his tail with her head surrounded by the fluff of it. He gently shook her and she began to stir, she stretched her arms and looked sleepily up at him smiling widely as she did.

"Do we have to get up already?" she asked grabbing his tail tightly to prevent him from removing it.

"I'm afraid so," he said as he pointed to the turbulent skies "we need to find a shelter. Hops on seeing the skies quickly got up and dusted herself off, joining Wild as he made his way down the small hill. Moving quickly through the grass he looked around for anything that could be used as a shelter, as he felt the drops hitting his ears he realized there was nothing. The closest thing was the trees but they would be flooded, the only option he could see would be the hill, though it would take effort on their part.

Running back up the hill he turned to Hops, grabbing her by the shoulders he looked her in the eyes and pointed at the ground. "How well can you dig," he asked making sure she could hear him, she rolled her eyes in response and brushed his hands off.

"I'm a bunny sweetheart," she said as she bent down to dig. Had it been any other time Wild would have paused a bit longer to enjoy the new view he had been given. But the spirits had other plans for him as they raked the sky with lightening, Wild ran up next to her and dug himself. They worked quickly tunneling their way down as the water began to pour from the sky, they dug and dug working furiously to beat the storm. They finished and quickly ducked into their small shelter just as the skies opened up.

They crammed into their dirt shelter as they heard the rain pour down, Hops continued digging to expand the burrow and Wild pushed the dirt out through the hole. He pushed it out and packed it up around the entrance, forming a small rise to prevent any water from entering the hole. As he packed the last little bit of dirt he looked back at this friend, her paws and torso were caked in dirt and mud much like his own.

She sat in the corner panting slightly, looking at her dirty paws with irritation. She slapped her paws together and released a cloud of dust that made Wild sneeze, hearing and seeing him do such a thing made her start to giggle uncontrollably.

Wild looked at her and rubbed his nose, he felt another coming but he held it off feeling the tears welled up in his eyes as it fought to escape. He wiped out his eyes and took a look around their temporary home, it was so small he had to crouch on all fours but it would work. It was deep enough to house both of them but they were sitting well within arm's length of each other, so if they planned on resting they would be squeezed together for sure.

"You rabbits just have to pick the rainy season to travel don't you," he asked her as he listened to the pattering of rain outside.

"Well the rainy season wasn't supposed to start for another moon" she answered indignantly, he smiled at her as she crossed her arms at him. Lying down by the entrance he made sure to block anything coming in with his body, facing his companion he rested his head in his paw and stared at her. She was rubbing her torso and paws in an attempt to remove the dirt, seeing his gaze she stopped and looked back at him sitting in such a way as to jut her chest out towards him.

"Don't stop on my account," he said grinning and sniffing the air around them, she responded by picking up a small pawful of loose dirt and throwing it at him. He threw a paw in front of his nose to prevent another sneezing fit and stared daggers at the now laughing bunny. He got up on his four legs and moved towards her, he stalked up to her as she backed against the wall.

"That was not a very smart thing to do bunny," he said down to her "I'm afraid I'll have to teach you a lesson" and with that he blew lightly on her nose. Her nose began to twitch wildly as the itchiness grew and she exploded into a fit of sneezes. Wild lowered himself onto the ground and looked up at her wagging his tail in amusement, she continued to sneeze as she saw him grinning in self-satisfaction.

Not to be so easily outdone she righted herself got her sneezing under control and looked down on him. He was staring up at her grinning as she cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward, he stared at her suspiciously, wondering what she planned to do for revenge. She leaned over his face and after looking into his eyes with a confident stare she planted a quick, soft kiss on his nose.

His eyes widened and he quickly backed up, shooting up he bumped his head on the ceiling while he clutched his nose. He stared down at her as she rolled over to point her back at him and curled up, he held his snout in his paws and gently rubbed the spot her lips had made contact.

He retreated to his place by the entrance and looked back at her before laying back down, still lightly rubbing his nose. He looked at the back of her head still within a short reach of him and he silently sniffed her. He smelled her as he would smell another fox, savoring the scents to learn as much as he could about her. She was healthy and young; she wasn't afraid of him, in fact, she seemed quite comfortable. He closed his eyes to better picture each scent and his nose traveled closer to her head. She must have picked up on the sound of his breath as he felt a finger push against his nose, he opened his eyes to see her now facing him and holding back his snout.

"Did you want to sneak in another one?" she asked, moving closer to him. Reaching behind him she grabbed hold of his tail and gently pulled it towards her. "Give me this," she said, wrapping herself in his fluffy fur. Outside the storm raged on but inside they stayed dry and comfortable as they snuggled together in conversation.

"So what are your parents like?" Wild asked he looked down at the bunny wrapped comfortably in his tail. She looked up at him and smiled.

"My father is a great man and the leader of our clan, my mother is his first wife and a loving woman," she responded, Wild smiled as he enjoyed the attention his tail was receiving.

"So what do I have here?" he asked, pointing to her "A princess?" She laughed and continued to pat his tail.

"No," she said "Well maybe" she added after a minute of thought. Taking on a new look she pointed a hand at him and gave it a small wave. "Bow before me," she said, he grinned and bowed his head slightly putting it right in her range, wasting no time she reached up and scratched behind his ears. He felt a rush of feeling flow from his ears and he rolled his eyes back and pushed his head into her paws. She giggled at his reaction and kept scratching as his tongue rolled out the side of his mouth.

"You can do this till your arm falls off sweetheart," he said, causing her to fall over into a small fit of giggles. He looked at her once her arm left and she was rolling on the floor, he grinned as he used his tail to tickle her face. She began to battle his tail to keep it from her face as he continued his assault on her little snout. He dodged her paws and pushed into her defenses and buried her face in his tail, she reached around and grabbed hold of it pulling his tail into a hug. He sat there and let her hold his tail without resistance while slowly placing a paw outside to see if it was still raining. Pulling his paw back in he saw it was wet but the rain had reduced to a light drizzle.

"The rain is light now, we can continue," he said, she let go of his tail and let him crawl out of their hole. He let the cool breeze hit him with the cleansing rain, it washed the dust off his and Hops's fur. He stood there and let the rain slowly kiss him as it fell in small drops, he looked down at his bunny friend as she also let the rain wash her. She rubbed her paws over her fur as the water hit her, wiping the top of her head and her ears.

He began to walk forward and beckoned her to join him, she walked up to his side and leaned against him, he wrapped his arm around her and guided on her journey. He let the rain wash him and his companion as they walked along making their way to the river.

"How far is it now?" Hops asked as they neared the river. Wild looked down at her as he guided them to walk south along the river.

"A day, maybe a day and a half," he answered, pointing to the river he added, "We just have to follow the river now." She nodded and followed him.

They walked along as the landscape began to change from the sweeping plains to a lush green meadow that followed the river. Trees began to appear more regularly and the two of them could enjoy the shade through the heat of the day.

As they walked they talked about many things of their favorite things and of their childhoods. Hops had fond memories and she was happy to share them, of all the times she and her siblings had run amok and driven their mother crazy, of all the games they would play together and the how hard farming was at the beginning. Wild listened and smiled internally at her childhood as she spoke, she had finished a story of when she and one of her brothers had grown the largest melon they had ever seen and how good it tasted when she looked at him.

She nudged him and asked, "What was your childhood like?" He sighed and looked down at her.

"I'm afraid it is not as happy as yours," he said, he looked off into the distance as he began. "I was born in a litter of three, me, my brother, and my sister. Our parents were very loving from what I remember though they had left the protection of the clan, I still don't know why. They raised us until we were four and then I killed them," Hops stared up at him in shock as he continued, "I was playing with my brother and we wandered off, we stumbled into a small valley and just wrestled there. We were found by a couple of lynxes who asked us what we were doing, we didn't know what to do so we told them we were playing," Wild started to feel tears well up in his eyes.

"They said they had a game they wanted to play, and they took my brother and, and they snapped his neck in front of me. I was terrified and I ran, I ran all the way home, and they followed me." Wild's tears were now flowing from his face and Hops was looking up at him in shock. "They killed everyone and just laughed, they weren't even hungry they just nibbled on them after the killed them. They left me, they just, waved at me as they left the den" Wild stopped, he looked over at Hops who was crying next to him.

She went to hug him but he quickly walked away from her and turned his back on her, speaking over his shoulder he gave her his advice.

"This is a kill or be killed world Hops," he sat on the ground, his back still turned to her "I kill to eat. You shouldn't be so ready to make a predator your friend". He felt a paw on his shoulder as Hops sat down next to him, she hugged his arm and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Those were not predators," she said "Those were murderers and you're not like that" she paused, she looked up at him and waited until he looked back at her. "I'm not afraid of you, I have no reason to be. You save my life when you could have let me die, I trust you Wild" she said, looking into his eyes and never breaking contact.

He stared back into her bright purple eyes, eyes that pierced into him, he felt the relief fueled by her word wash over him. He gazed deeply into her kind eyes and reached for her placing his paw on the side of her face and cradling it softly. It was a strange thing, he thought, to feel this way for a rabbit, but that is what he felt.

He got himself lost in her comforting eyes as she did the same with hers. He wanted to lean in and experience all he could but something still stopped him and he broke, his eyes shifted away and he dropped his paw. He quickly stood up and walked back to the river leaving Hops sitting on the ground watching him leave.

He walked to the bank and crouched down lapping up the water from the spring. He let some of it fall down his neck and he splashed his face some as well. Refreshed he walked back up to where Hops was waiting for him, he noticed the air had an interesting smell but he quickly ignored it. Pointing forward he beckoned his rabbit friend to follow, and with that, he began to walk trying to forget the last few minutes.

They walked in silence for a while and as the sun started to go down they began to feel the rocks under their feet, letting them know that they were close. They walked in as the sun went down Wild scanning the horizon as they went, he stopped suddenly and pointed out in front of them. Hops looked and saw it, in front of them was the twinkling of campfires, hundreds of them all just a few leagues away.

Wild sniffed the air trying to determine who it was but he couldn't get anything from this distance. He began to make his way over to the lights staying low so as to not be seen. Hops followed quickly behind him and he whispered to her.

"Is that your family?" he asked, looking back at her as he spoke. She responded with a shrug and so he continued to walk towards them.

They stayed low and crawled through the grass and rocks at a painfully slow pace until they were just out of eyesight of a very large camp. Sniffing the air deeply Wild was assaulted by the smell of rabbits, thousands of them.

"I think this is them," he said, turning back to Hops. He beckoned her forward and together they crawled on their bellies to a small ledge overlooking they camp. It was a rabbit camp, there was thousands of them nestled in a clearing with cliffs and hills surrounding them, they were on the move it was obvious by their tents. They had wagons and bags full of food and seeds, there were guards placed on the wagons and Wild saw that several of the guards were hares. That meant that if this was Hops's clan they were, in fact, a very powerful clan and it would be best if he wasn't seen or caught by them.

Hops had perked up as she looked out upon the camp, she looked excitedly at Wild. "This is it," she said, barely containing herself "This is my family".

Wild smiled at her excitement and waved her off the ledge, he moved quicker now and got off the ledge and went for the open ground. They crawled just out of the light of the torches and stopped on a rocky outcrop just outside the entrance of the camp.

Wild turned to Hops who was brimming with excitement and smiled, he placed a paw on her shoulder and beckoned her towards the camp. She started walking towards in, she walked a few steps before looking back to see that Wild wasn't with her.

"Are you not coming?" she asked, he shook his head and her heart dropped.

"This is where I say goodbye bunny," he said, smirking as he did though he felt as if a piece of him was walking away.

"No," she said "You should join me," she waved at him, beckoning him to join her. He again shook his head and waved her on.

"That is your family Hops, go on now, go back to them," he said, and with that, he turned around and walked away. He felt a pain in his heart and gut as he left as if he had just gnawed off his own leg. He forced himself forward and didn't look back, he walked and walked until he was a league away from the camp.

Then he turned and looked back at the camp that now held his little friend, he sighed and bowed his head. He wished it could be different but this was the only way, he always knew, this was the only way this would ever end. He stared at the lights made by the campfires and thought back on his little adventure, he had almost died twice but he had completed it. He could go back to his life, whatever that was.

He looked back at the campfire and wondered how far they were from the Watering Hole; they couldn't be more than a day. He looked off towards the place his friend wanted to go so badly, he straightened and stood up.

His adventure wasn't over he still hadn't made it to the Watering Hole. He had already walked this far, he would be a fool to not finish the journey, after all, it was a requirement for every mammal to go at least once in their life, twice could only make it better. He brushed off his clothes and began walking in the direction of the Hole, he glanced one more time at the camp. Who knows, he thought, maybe he would see get to see her again. And with that he made his way quickly through the night towards the place of peace, to finish his journey.


	4. Chapter 4

The quite was hard to get used to he found. As he walked, he was greeted by only the sound of his own breathing and it was deafening. He spent his time listening to the rocks of the dirt beneath him crunch against his feet, he looked aimlessly up at the clouds above as they drifted along. He counted the cracks where the water had once flooded, but now had left the ground dry, in short, he was bored, bored and lonely. He missed his little friend with her constant questions and endless stories, and he thought often of the chance of seeing her again at the Watering Hole.

He traveled on through the day, crossing the small streams that fed the Hole, he walked and he wondered. He felt the dirt slowly turn to sand beneath his feet as he thought about his friend. She had been pressuring her way into his thoughts and filling him with questions, he would frequently look around and the empty land before him and wish she was there.

It was midday and the sun was beating hot upon him as he came within view of the holy archway. An impressive structure, built long ago in the time before his father's father, two great stones sprouted from the earth and reached up to the heavens in a mighty grasp. Far above him, they were joined together by another stone, it laid across them like a jaguar upon a branch bridging the two great pillars. This gateway was the path to the Watering Hole, the most Holy place on all the earth, where all mammals gathered in peace and reflection. The site was guarded and kept by the priest of the Great Spirit, an order of yaks that lived at the Hole, meditating, tending to it, and providing guidance to any traveler in need.

Wild walked up to the gateway and placed his paw upon the stone, he felt the rough, uncut edges of rock as he said a silent prayer. He pulled out his knife and plucked a branch off a nearby tree, sharping the tip he fashioned himself a simple spear. He turned to the rock and presented to spear to the heavens, he bowed and let the Spirits see the weapon he held. He rose again and grasped the spear firmly in his paws, he brought it down with force upon his knee and snapped it in half. It broke cleanly and quick, leaving two worthless pieces of wood in his paw, he laid the pieces before the stone where many more had been laid.

Finishing the ritual, he crossed the archway and entered into the holy site. He would have to walk another mile before making it to the Hole, following the well-trodden path laid out before him, he walked at a leisurely pace. As he walked, he sniffed the air for the smell of fruits and water that he remembered from his childhood, but he smelled no fruit and the water seemed different. He walked along faster now the trail made by so many mammals throughout the years, making his travel much easier, he sniffed the air and began to smell it.

The air was full of an iron smell, the smell of blood, he moved quickly to the water. The water was now visible in the distance and he could hear the stillness of it, but it was disturbed by cries, cries, and whimpers of pain. Wild ran forward not knowing what he was doing, he saw a great many tracks upon the ground below him. Blood was now visible on the trail in front of him, small pools gathered along the side and trails and led off into the grass or to the water, where it stained the holy water.

Wild made it to the shore of the Hole and looked upon the horror before him. Scattered along the shore were the bodies of both the dead and dying, all speared or torn by claws, and all prey. Wild walked in a daze as he stared at the bodies of buffalo, zebra, and giraffe all cut and disemboweled. His foot hit something as he shuffled along and he looked down at it, it was the head of a yak, a priest, a look of terror on his face.

Who would do this, Wild thought, this was a holy place, who could do this. He walked along the beach and saw dead, more dead than could be numbered on his fingers, this was not even a hunt but a mere slaughter. Wild walked further and felt as if his world had ended, the place of peace had been destroyed and now there was nothing. He was hit by a sudden smell, rabbits, he stopped and dread shot like an arrow through his stomach.

No, he thought as he ran toward the smell. It was close by but hidden behind a small rise in the sand. His heart raced as clawed his way up the rise and threw himself over to the other side, rolling down, oblivious of the sand now sinking into his fur he looked around. Before him lay a family of around a hundred rabbits all laying still in their own blood. Wild froze in horror as he took in the scene, they had all been slaughtered and their tents burned. A nearby doe lay crumpled, her spine clearly snapped and blood trickled down her grass skirt.

Wild crawled on all fours over to her feeling a tightening pain in his gut with each step. He stood over her and patted her softly with his paw, she didn't move, he sniffed her and confirmed. She had been dead for an hour at least, her and her whole family, Wild slowly turned her over to stare at her face. He was greeted be a cold and empty look of horror and pain, she had no cuts except for a gash on her leg, she had been left to die from her broken back. She was young and pretty and Wild felt grief, in her eyes, he saw Hops and now he felt true fear. Hops and her clan were on their way, they would be here soon if he didn't stop them.

He stood and made his way to the broken body of a large buck rabbit, in his hands he gripped tightly to a spear. The tip of the spear was stained with blood showing he had at least died as a warrior, Wild gripped the spear and tried to pull it out. The rabbits grip was too tight and Wild was forced to break the rabbits fingers to retrieve it, saying a small prayer of apology he turned to leave this unholy site.

Wild ran back down the shore at as fast a pace he could, ignoring the cries of the dying that carried through the air. He had to save her, to stop her from coming to this place. He ran back up the path, he felt his feet thump against the ground with every step the pain starting to form in his calves. He kept on running, pushing himself, with every step he felt his strength leave his body, he was moving at a speed that hurt with every step and yet the world around him seemed to stand still. He looked before him for landmarks, but his vision was a tunnel, he merely walked forward and ignored his pain and all else.

He ran for miles as his lungs burned and he panted each breath. The spear in his paw felt heavy and shoulder ached from the weight, but he dared not drop it. His feet had gone numb long ago but he refused to look at them, he merely kept running. He passed through the grass and plains the pain in his chest slowly becoming a dull ache. His legs tingled a warm feeling and the pain had gone away, he could run forever now and he pushed himself to keep moving his feet. His head felt cloudy as he ran looking to the sky as he ran, he breathed and tried to get as much air as he could. His whole body burned with a dull ache and the arm in which he held the spear had lost all feeling. He did not know how far he had run, nor did he care, he had not yet found her. The sun had begun to retreat from this wretched place to its sanctuary behind the earth as he continued his great race. He was spurred on by a single thought, he looked with his mind's eye at the young doe again and again. But now each time he did not see her face, but the face of Hops, of his doe and he would die before he let that happen.

As the sun retreated, he saw through his cloudy eyes a line of torches before him, turning in their direction he ran faster now. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life to the torches, the faint scent of rabbit hit his nose and fought its way past his snot that had run down his face now. His face was coated in saliva and his tongue dangled from his mouth as he closed the distance with the caravan. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and his fur was matted down in his body oils. He flew into the light of the torches and saw the face of the two lead hares. They looked at him in shock and then terror as he appeared like a demon, they went to bring their spears up as he came to a stop before them. Wild stopped and felt a rush to his head and limbs, his vision began to turn black along the edges and he felt sick. His world spun and he went to speak when his vision left, he was blind, he could feel his knees give way as he tumbled to the ground.

He awoke with the hares staring over him joined by an older rabbit. The rabbit looked at him as his eyes slowly fluttered open, the rabbit bent down and stared at him from head to toe.

"You look half dead," the old rabbit said, Wild tried to sit up and the hares raised their spears at him. The old mammal brushed the spears away as Wild reached up to him.

"Hops," Wild said, barely able to speak and merely whispering the name, the eyes of the old rabbit widened at the name and he turned to one of the hares. Saying something that Wild could not hear the rabbit pointed back to the caravan and the hare took off at a run. The old rabbit then waved the other hare over and together they lifted Wild up and carried him back to the rest of their clan.

Wild stared up at the stars as he was carried back, unable to move from sheer exhaustion he didn't resist to their handling. He was placed on a wagon and the hare climbed up with him, his ears still beat with the sound of his heart and his lungs burned as if they were on fire. He was brought a wineskin full of water and the hare lifted his head roughly to pour it down his throat, as the water hit his stomach, he turned and vomited it out on the wagon and the hare. The hare jumped up and in a cry of anger bashed Wild across the face with his fist, Wild reeled and his vision went dark and ears began to ring. He curled up in a ball as the hare gave him a swift kick to the side and yelled something Wild could not hear.

Wild felt near death, both from exhaustion and now from the hare's beatings. The hare was speaking angrily and jumped off the wagon, leaving Wild alone. Wild felt cold and scared as he felt the pain in his chest turn cold and his heart begin to tighten. He felt someone get on the wagon and walk up behind him, there was shouting and people running but Wild's vision had begun to blur. He passed out on the wagon as a crowd of people gathered.

Wild awoke in a tent now and he looked around, he was in a bed and covered by a blanket. Throwing the blanket off, he saw that his feet had been carefully bandaged and the gash above his eye where the hare had hit him had been likewise tended to. He saw that he had been stripped and was naked aside from his bandages, though he was also alone in his new quarters. His nose picked up on an amazing smell and he turned to see a bowl of stew sitting on the floor next to him, steam still rising from it. Beside it was a small loaf of bread and a wooden cup full of water.

Wild greedily took the bowl and bread and sat there as he ate. The stew danced on his tongue as a cascade of flavor, and he savored each bite as he dipped the bread and let it soak up the juice. He washed down the stew with gulps of water, it tasted sweet and he swallowed sip after sip. He ate every bit of stew and drank every drop of water, placing the dishes down in front of him he patted his now full stomach in delight. He stood and began looking for his garments when the flap of the tent opened and a bunny walked in. He turned to face them and saw the face of a young doe staring at him, she stared in shock at his exposed body for a moment, before running out covering her eyes. Wild grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his waist quickly to protect his dignity as he made his way to the entrance of the tent.

His body wailed in protest with every step, from the hot pain emanating from his feet to the dull soreness of every muscle. He went for the flap stumbling of his own feet as he went, as he neared it, he reached out for it, only for it to move away on its own. He blinked as light flooded into the tent and punished his eyes, he squinted to see as the light vanished again.

Slowly his eyes adjusted and he saw the face of another rabbit before him, he smiled and went to walk towards her but was greeted with a sharp pain in his foot. He twisted and fell, the rabbit ran up and caught him before he hit the ground, slowly lowering him she stared into his eyes with joy.

"You dumb fox, why did you do this to yourself?" Hops asked, she held him in her lap as he grinned up at her. His grin was soon replaced by a look of determination as he grabbed her shoulder and began to speak.

"I had to stop you," he said "the Watering Hole, it's not safe. They were all dead, all of them, you have to turn back." Hops stared in shock, frozen by all Wild had just said.

"What," she choked out "What do you mean, it can't be right, we, I," she stumbled on through her words until Wild reached up and grabbed her. He wrapped his larger, deadlier paw around her face gently and guided her to face him.

"I will not, cannot, let you die Hops," he said, his voice was firm and yet tender, he spoke with a grave tone that let Hops realized the truth of his statement. She leaned slightly into his paw and grasped his wrist with her own, she let him stay there for a moment longer before pulling his paw away. He put up no resistance and let her slide out from under him and place him gently on the floor, laying his paw next to him she sighed.

"I have to go get my father," Hops said as she got up and headed for the entrance, Wild rose slightly and watched her. As she reached for the flap, he spoke, making her hesitate with her paw grasped to the flap.

"Hops I," he started, he looked at her as the words gnawed at his throat. "I missed you," he finally said, Hops looked at him for a moment before turning quickly away, Wild saw her blushing as she walked out the flap and into the camp. He lay on the ground and let his body ache through its recovery, he knew he had much to do and he would need strength to do it. He felt stretched as he waited, how would her clan welcome him now that he was awake, he wondered. He searched the room for his clothes, it would be best to be dressed when they arrived.

He found his kilt laying against a small piece of furniture that he assumed to be a table and quickly began to put it on. As he dressed his ears and nose began to pick up the conversation of a couple of hares outside, he presumed they were his guards.

"I can't think over the embleer," one said, Wild rolled his eyes at the term. Perhaps they thought he couldn't speak their tongue, foolish of them, but they were hares.

"I, too," the other responded in a high-pitched almost squeaking voice. Wild slipped, let himself get comfortable in his tunic as the hares continued to drone on.

"What is the Rah thinking, letting him in?" squeaky voice asked.

"I think his daughter wants to mate with it," came the reply, Wild held back a chuckle that widened into a grin as he heard squeaky gasp.

"No, you shouldn't say that, what if the Rah heard," squeaky seemed to plead to his comrade.

"What will he do, he is an old rabbit, rabbits are weak, they need us for a reason," came the reply from the other, Wild had begun to take an interest. He had heard such talk before, and if this buck thought he could ever try and cause harm or overpower Hops and her family. Then he would show him who was the predator and who was the prey.

The conversation became less entertaining from then on, they talked about which doe they wanted to mate with and complained about their job. Wild ignored them and waited for Hops to return with her father, he had to organize his thought so he could explain what he had seen.

He heard footsteps and the guards outside straighten, he turned and faced the door as an old rabbit emerged, escorted by Hops. The rabbit looked him up and down and grunted, turning to find a spot on the ground he sat down with the help of Hops. He looked up at Wild and motioned for him to sit across from him, Wild dutifully obeyed the request and faced the rabbit, waiting for him to speak.

"I would not," the Rah began "Normally have let a homba stay so comfortably around my family, but my daughter says you can be trusted. Can you be trusted?"

"Yes," Wild said simply, the Rah looked into his eyes and studied him before grinning.

"You do not live as long as I have and not learn a thing or two," the rabbit said "I believe you fox. Go Hops and sit down beside him," the Rah motioned for her to obey him.

She smiled slightly as she made her way across the tent, she sat down next to Wild and blushed slightly, making sure to maintain a distance. The old rabbit had what seemed to be a flash of every emotion cross his face in an instant, he looked from Hops and then to Wild and nodded.

"Tell me what did you see?" the rabbit asked, Wild thought, he had to describe it but it was indescribable. He racked his brain for the right words whether in their tongue or in his, he thought deeply looking for the word. The word for chaos, destruction, death, betrayal, suffering, for all those things he needed the word. He looked up when he finally found it.

"Zorn," he said, the rabbit recoiled in shock, not just because a fox was speaking in his tongue but because of the word used. Such a powerful word with such a dark meaning, such a thing would make any run.

"Then why," the Rah said after he had recovered "Did you come here? Why did you not flee?" he pressed. Wild looked from the Rah to the bunny beside him, he stared at her now after she had returned to her people. She had bathed and brushed, removing the dirt and grime of their travels, her skirt had been replaced with a dress made of otter skin that gripped her figure quite favorably, a small pink flower nestled behind her ear. Wild did not know why the flower was there or what it meant to be he enjoyed the glow it seemed to give her, turning back to the older rabbit he answered.

"I couldn't let anything happen to her," the rabbit nodded at his response and went to get up, when Hops moved to help him he held out his paw for her to remain seated. He rose and went to the entrance of the tent only looking back when he had reached the flap.

"We are in your debt now fox, I see you as one of us," and with that, he left, leaving Wild and Hops sitting alone in the tent. Wild looked down to his friend sitting next to him, she looked up at him and smiled softly.

"So you missed me after only one day, I must have made quite the impression," she said, Wild blushed slightly and turned his head to the ground, his ears flattening against his head. He was enchanted and he knew it, his four days with her had somehow seared her into his mind, he looked at her and felt a warmth in his heart.

"You have, you have made a home in here," he said, pointing to his head "and I miss your constant talking" he added. She pushed him slightly and he winced as his sore muscles felt it much more than they should have.

"What are we going to do Wild?" she asked now in a somber tone, her head bowed and her ears drooping behind her. Wild reached over and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into a hug, he rested his chin softly on her head as he comforted her.

"You have to leave," he said, "You have to go back to your home and never return here." She looked up at him, a flurry of worry and surprise danced on her face.

"You have to come with us," she said, "You are no safer than me here, you are safe with us." Wild shook his head slowly at her pleading words, he backed away slowly and sat there alone for a moment.

"I cannot, " he said, he looked at her and she looked back. Her head tilted in confusion as she wondered why he would not. She crawled over to him and put her paw on his shoulder, she wouldn't let him not go with her, he was her friend and she wouldn't let him get himself killed, he was her fox.

Wild let her hand rest against his fur, he let her crawl up to him and place her other paw under his snout. He gave no resistance as she guided his head to her own face, nor did he fight as she leaned towards him further.

As her face inched towards him, he relaxed into her gentle grasp. He brought his own paw up and placed it behind her head softly petting her ears as he did so. As he felt her breath upon his nose both their ears snapped up to the flap in the tent, they quickly separated themselves as the tent was invaded by the presence of a large hare. The hare looked at each of them and snorted in poorly hidden disgust, pointing the spear he held in his paw at Wild he ushered him towards the opening.

"Homba come," the hare said, Wild rose until he was staring at the hare eye to eye. With a small snarl, Wild made his way out of the tent and began following his hare guards.


	5. Chapter 5

Wild walked with his guards down the row of tents filled with rabbits and hares. Small kits played in the pathways with little toys carved from wood or bone, the rabbits they passed looked at them in wonderment. A few of the more daring of the young ones tried to run up and touch Wild only to be brushed away by one of the hares, Wild watched as the child scurried back into its mother's arms.

They walked a little further towards the center of the camp the tents now taking on a different more uniform feel. The air around Wild stung with the smell of hares laboring in the sun and of the strange smell of sharpened stone and metal. This was the warrior quarter and Wild was being led to the center of it, to where a large tent stood prominently in the camp. The tent was a large leather structure made of many skins, it was with unease that Wild noted a fox skin draped across the front its skull mounted over the entrance. The fox's lower jaw had been removed to better display the two long dagger-like fangs it possessed near the front of its mouth.

Wild ran his tongue across his own unconsciously as he passed under the display. He was pushed into the room and in front of what appeared to be a throne, the hares to his side brought him to his knees with a quick strike from their spears. Wild was tempted to remind these hares of nature's order, but seeing as he was surrounded such an action wouldn't be wise.

As he kneeled on the ground a hare walked into the room, he was donned in armor and draped behind was a cape of tiger skin. The hare walked purposely across the room before sitting in the chair, he gazed intently at the fox.

"You have seen what happened fox?"

Wild nodded, daring not to rise nor to speak. The hare studied him further as he spoke.

"Do you know what did this?"

Wild shook his head, and he was struck from behind and lights shot through his eyes.

"Speak homba."

There was a sharp snap of teeth and Wild saw as the hare upon the throne rose and faced Wild's assaulter.

"Enough," he said, pointing at the hare warrior, "He is the guest of the Rah, you shall treat him as such. Rise fox."

Wild did as commanded and rose to his full height, he stood taller and broader than any in the room. The leader of the hares turned to him and spoke his request.

"We have won many victors before fox, but we have never seen this before. You know more than we could ever know, you have seen it. The Rah trusts you, so I trust you also. Will you help us?"

The words were sincere, the pierced Wilds gut as if they were an arrow. He thought of Hops in an instant, of her face, her smile, and he thought of the dead rabbit he had seen. Of the many mammals slaughtered upon the beaches of the most Holy place. He had no choice, he had decided long ago, he would die for Hops.

"I will."

Wild stared at what had been delivered to his tent just a few short minutes ago. A leather breastplate studded with bits of copper, a spear meant for a hare, but it would work, it was fitted with a copper tip. Everything was light and made so he could run, the gear of a scout, it was clear to Wild now how rich this clan was.

He stretched, he would be going out tonight to search the path ahead. He left his tent to watch the sun dip below the horizon and out of sight, its burning red light casting its rays out across the land. Wild let the rays roll off of him, feeling the warmth of its touch. His eyes remained closed as a familiar and loving smell struck his nose, his ears perked and he grinned widely as he turned to face the rabbit walking up behind him.

"They say you are going out tonight," Hops said, she stood nervously in front of him the rays from the sun striking her like a painting. She was beautiful.

"I am."

Wild stood majestically with the sun at his back, his amber fur burning in the light. His bright green eyes glowing down on her, those eyes, the thin slits of his pupils which once filled her with dread now felt warm. The light of his eyes seemed to illuminate her as they traveled up and down her form. She walked up to him and swiftly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Just come back to me Wild."

"I will always return to you."

Wild crouched as he made his way through the grass, he made not a sound as he quickly outpaced his rabbit and hare allies. He scanned the land, he could see it all, this was his world.

The hares and rabbits stumbled in the dark as he swiftly made his way through them. He felt his pads lightly touching the ground, leaving only the faintest imprint, the wind would blow it away by morning. He sniffed the air, he looked for any scent that seemed wrong, too excited or nervous. Every predator and prey smelled the same after killing something and after the kill at the Hole, they would reek.

Wild pressed on, not making a sound and following his nose as it took him on a path away from other mammals. He kept going, sniffing the ground and air as his mind kept saying one thing, must keep her safe. He stopped.

He darted back to the hare leading their party, he found him nearly a league behind picking his way through the grass. The hare started as Wilds glowing eyes emerged from the tall grass in front of him and bared down on him.

"Up ahead, the smell of death," Wild said softly, the hare quickly recovering pointed forward for Wild to lead as he called the rest of the party. In total, the six of them traveled forward at a speed Wild found to be excruciating closing in on the smell he found.

They stepped out into a clearing, taking care to remain hidden and quiet as they did so. In the clearing was a small camp, no more tents than what one could count on one's paws. The smell of death clung to the air all around the camp, so strong event the bunnies could smell it. To Wild, it assaulted his nose with so many signals, sweet, sick, rot, no good. But most of all, fear, run, the smell belonged to predators.

The bodies they found in that camp were the bodies of predators. They walked into the camp and saw them, lions. A whole pride of lions mauled and gutted, their bodies prickled with spears and arrows.

Wild approached the massive bodies all sprawled around the center of camp and sniffed. His blood ran cold, he had smelled this before, but only once.

He turned to his prey companions, knowing that they were terrified by the odor they emitted. They slowly slunk down trying to hide their fear, Wild trying to remain calm as well. But it was a hopeless endeavor as what he had smelled burned its way through his mind in a flash of terrible images.

"We must return," he said, he looked to each one in the party, the tension could be felt from each one of them.

They moved swiftly back through the brush, Wild leading the way back to the camp of rabbits. The night air nipped at their fur as they went, Wild could feel the grass around them move. They were being followed, by what he could not tell.

Passing the word back he was shocked when the order came to stop. Why stop? It made them open and alone.

The hare who lead them brought them into a circle, their spears bristled out in all directions. Wild being the largest stood in the middle of their wall of stone and metal, his nose trying in vain to pick up the scent.

Wild saw as the ears on the rabbits twitched, they could hear it now. He still couldn't hear, but he felt them, there were two at least.

As if on cue a cat emerged from the grass its eyes glowing in the night as it prowled towards them. The bunnies around Wild tensed as they were met with this creature, it stood on all fours and was double his own size. A rustling to his right and behind revealed two more emerging to encircle their formation. They began to circle them like sharks circle a school of fish.

Wild clutched his spear and watched as the eyes studied the party intently, drifting over the prey to lock onto him. The cats let out a sneer, the moonlight glistening off their long dagger-like teeth.

Wild tensed as one of them pounced, it came within reach of the party before ducking away, deftly avoiding the spears. The others began to lunge in, each taking swipes trying to break up the circle. Wild felt his heart tighten as the eyes studied him with every swipe, every pass, they had found the strongest link and the weakest.

Wild jabbed again as a cat got too close to the circle, hissing, the cat backed up and stared at the group. They continued their dance for quite some time, but as deftly as they emerged the cats looked at each other and slipped back into the grass.

Wild and his companions waited in silence, for time to pass before they dared move again. Normally hunted so close to the Watering Hole was followed by a death sentence from every clan. It would seem word has spread, predator and prey are at war. This would make Wild a strange case, he would be needed by the rabbits of course, but staying could mark him for death. He pondered his fate as they made their way back to the camp, moving with less speed and more caution this time.

As they made it to the outskirts of the camp, the orange glow of the fires striking through the dark cloak of night. They stumbled on wishing sleep, but no sleep would come, first they must speak of what they had seen.

They shambled their way towards the tents where the leaders stood waiting. The hare which led their party was ushered in and Wild fell down in the dirt outside his exhaustion gripping him.

The hare spoke long enough for Wild to fall asleep outside, curling up clutching his spear as he did so. There was a tap on his shoulder, firm but soft, he looked up to see the sun just beginning to rise for its trek across the sky.

He was ushered into the tent where the Rah sat with the elder of the hares, a worried expression painted upon both faces. As he entered they looked up at him, a mix of fear and hope in their eyes.

"What did you smell fox?"

Thinking back to the scent Wild swallowed, his mind flashing terrible images through him. Stories of his childhood danced at the tip of his tongue, the name that no mammal wanted to say. Be it in fox tongue, or rabbit, it was evil.

"Hekana."

Authors Note: I apologize both for the wait and for the short chapter. I had to take a short break from writing for personal reasons and hadn't worked on this in awhile. I will get back on it as well as release one-shots to get the creative juices following again.


	6. Chapter 6

Hekana, monster, Hellswine. They had long ago ripped through the lands and desecrated the holy sites. They cared not for the traditions of the ancestors, no, they tore through the land like beasts. The thought of them brought forth into a chill in a mammal's blood, they stood two and a half cubits high with tusks that dwarfed the teeth of a lion. They were minions of the devils and worshipers of the evil spirits and were evil themselves.

Wild stood in the presence of the Owsla and felt his own fear ripple through him. The Hekana had returned and they had killed, they had killed so many and they would not stop. The rabbit elders discussed in hushed worried voices, at one point they released Wild, who was more than happy to return to his tent.

His fate was now in the hands of those rabbits, he mused as he stripped off his cramped and now heavy armor. He placed his gear by his cot and stretched, letting his spine release a string of cracks. He was exhausted and as worried and scared he was of the coming days and of their trials all he could do now was sleep.

He collapsed into his cot and let his mind cloud in sleep.

They moved closer, swiping at him, he felt their claws dig into his flesh. He tried to scream, but his mouth found no voice, he was mute to his mutilation, and yet he heard a squeak. He looked in horror as the creatures surrounded her, they left him for her, he ran his legs tied down on rocks. He was helpless, helpless as the day his family died, the day he failed them and now he would fail her. Her eyes were full of horror as she pleaded for him to help, to save her. All he could do was watch, watch as the beasts tore her apart, her gray fur ripped and dyed with her own blood. The beast finished their meal and vanished into mist, his ropes were gone, he crawled over. He held her broken body in his arms and wept, he was to blame. He heard a snarl behind him.

Wild shot from his dream, his fur raised, claws bared, and his lips curled to reveal his sharp teeth. The small bunny in front of his was terrified, frozen even, in her fear. Wild relaxed as the tharned rabbit in front of him remained frozen in place.

He blinked at her and let himself examine her closely. She was a brown doe with a clasp of wood around her wrist marking her as a servant. Her eyes were a deep blue and Wild thought that when she wasn't utterly horrified she would have made a rather attractive rabbit. He snorted slightly at the fact he was now concerned with the beauty of a prey. The rabbit started and hopped slightly in her place, she addressed him as if he were death itself.

"The Lady Hops has requested your presence."

Wild looked at the rabbit curiously before rising to follow.

Hops stood, pacing in her tent as she remembered the words her father had spoken to her the night before.

"If it is what you wish, why are you afraid to tell me?"

Hops had paced with her paws clutched to her head as she listened to her father speak.

"Are you afraid of what I would say? What I would do? He saved my daughter, why would I garner him any ill will?"

Hops stopped and looked at her father, the Rah, with tearful eyes.

"I think I love him father, and I know it is wrong. I fear myself."

Her father rose and went to her, gently, he cradled her head in his hands and patted her ears.

"There are many things that one must fight, but love is not one of them. The Great Spirit cares not if you are marli and homba, you are of one spirit. If what you feel is true, then call to him when he returns. The fates have brought him to us for a reason my child, I would not question them."

Now Hops stood in nervous anticipation for the servant she had sent to return, and to bring the fox with her. She couldn't stop and think, her mind would wander to the nights in the wilderness that they had spent together and to how safe and warm she felt in the arms of a creature she should fear. She tried to push them away, but the night she left him had filled her with a sadness she couldn't describe.

She wanted him to go with her, wherever she went, she wanted him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the flap of her tent being lifted and the entrance of a tall red mammal. The presence of the fox filled her with glee and she went to him and embraced him quickly. He seemed shocked at first, but he quickly returned the hold with one of his own.

"Why did you wish to see me?"

He asked it softly, almost leadingly, never letting his embrace loosen. He knew, she could feel it, he knew why and he just wanted her to say it. But could she, was she truly ready?

"I wanted you to keep your promise. I wanted you to come back to me."

Wild kneeled so he now stood equal with her, holding her head carefully in his paws.

"Well, here I am. What would you have me do?"

Hops looked into his sharp, slitted, green eyes. Eyes that should strike fear into her very soul, but only filled her with warmth. She saw into his soul, his spirit, and she saw herself. She was frightened of what was to be, but as her father had said, it was not wise to tempt the fates.

"Kiss me."

And so he did, without a single thought.

Wild left the tent, his gut ablaze in feeling. He was relieved and happy, but he was also terrified. What he had done could not be undone and he could be marked for death if he ever found another fox.

He walked back to his tent deep in thought. To use a rabbit in a carnal way was not unheard of this much was true, but to make one a mate. To let one mark you, he had never heard of such a thing. Was he willing to do this? As he passed the tents of the rabbits and hares he saw a few look at him in shock. They could smell her on him, they could smell rabbit on this fox. Whether they knew the truth or thought he had eaten one of them, he did not know, nor did he plan on asking.

He made his way back to his tent and sat on the bed, his head in his paws. Reaching down to his waist, he plucked the flower from its pouch, holding it up he examined it more closely. A single pink flower that meant so much, with this flower he now held he could change forever. It had marked him as her choice, and if he was to accept he was to wear it on his armor until the day they were made one.

He sighed heavily as the weight of the tiny flower seemed to pull his arm to the floor.

"Heavy isn't it?"

The voice took him by surprise and he shot his gaze up towards the opening in the tent. There stood the Rah and father of the bunny that had given him the flower. In the storm that was Wild's mind he had not even noticed the old rabbit enter, he went to stand but the rabbit waved him down.

"It weighs heavy on us all when we are chosen. I did not sleep for a week when my first mate chose me."

The rabbit walked in a slow and thoughtful gait around the tent, the gait one acquires after many long years. He turned to Wild with a fatherly smile.

"You are afraid, and that is good. It is good to be afraid, such a thing as this is not widely heard of. But it is not the first. Many years ago, far too long for many to remember, a lion mated with a gazelle and for a short time there was peace and unity between their clans."

Wild looked again at the flower in his paw, it's soft petals seemed to beckon him.

"I have no clan, no family, I would bring you no peace."

"But you would bring us strength. A rabbit clan with a fox in their midst is a powerful clan, and feared a respected by its neighbors," the old rabbit's voice took on a sorrowful tone, "And with the destruction of peace, I'm afraid we will need all the fear we can get."

"What of the Hekana," Wild asked suddenly. The elderly rabbit turned to him with a smirk that held no joy.

"What are we to do of them? We are merely rabbits, they stand as tall as lions and kill all in their path. They will create their chaos and disappear, as they always have."

Wild stood and walked over to the leader of the rabbit clan, kneeling down, he placed a paw on his shoulder. The rabbit looked up in shock at the gesture, but the look in the fox's eyes silenced him. A look of concern and determination.

"If you wish peace, then let us make peace. Let me help you make a better world," looking down at the flower again, "For her."

The rabbit placed his paw on top of Wild's, he nodded and reached for the front of Wild's brow.

"With this touch, I remove the stain your ancestors left upon my kind and wish the same of you. I ask you as a child of the Great Spirit to accept me as your brother."

Wild reached and placed his paw on the old mammal's forehead.

"With this touch, I remove the stain your ancestors left upon my kind and accept the same from you. As a child of the Great Spirit, I accept you as my brother."

That night Wild again stood in his armor, watching the sun set and waiting. They would move again, towards the safety of the great meadows, through the wilderness. He knew the perils that awaited them and thought of what he had asked of the Rah, of peace. They would try it soon, but not tonight, tonight the must be the vanguard. The clan was to leave and they must guard it.

Wild looked at his copper-tipped spear as it glistened sharply in the setting light, to his studded armor, the likes of which he had never seen before. He would need it all very soon.

The sun was setting upon them and darkness was swallowing the land. It moved with the swiftness of an arrow through the sky, striking all as it cut its way through. The peace had been shattered and now all that remained was chaos and war, death would follow them wherever they went and they must fight it off. There was no dawn in sight as the sun retreated behind the mountains, no dawn for them. But Wild held with a piece of the sun, it shone so bright that Wild could see for leagues ahead and his fear melted to hope. For hanging securely to his armor hung a single pink flower.


	7. Chapter 7

Darkness. Darkness was his ally.

Wild moved swiftly along the grass as the rabbit clan moved off behind him. The night was dark, moonless and clouded in shadow. They used no torches to light their way, no light was shining at all. The darkness was their shield, their shelter, they hid in it as a kit hides in their mother's garments.

As the rabbits behind him worked tirelessly to break down the camp and move to the safety of the meadows, Wild and the swiftest warriors remained behind. They would stop anything that wished to stop their clan, Wild smiled, his clan. It is true, it was rather strange, his presence among them, but he did not care. He had found his mate and her clan had accepted him, for the most part. He had seen the looks from the hares when he arrived with her flower in his armour and it had made him nervous for her. But he would deal with that if and when he had to, not tonight and no time soon.

The air was still and a mournful tune seemed to play through the night, mourning the end of peace. The stars danced overhead uncaring of the toils of mortals as they continue their everlasting watch of the lives of mammals. The Great Spirit felt empty and gone from this land, this land of war and toil.

Wild gripped his spear against the cold, black, night and charged forward into the unknown. He ran his nose searching for any threats, anything that could threaten his mate, his clan.

He had lived his life alone, survived on his own, this made him an excellent scout and a handy fighter. He would need to learn how to fight as a unit, but for now, his skills would work. He placed his spear on his back and ran on all fours, feeling his instincts take over. He ran through the tall grass, his eyes darting and nose twitching. Only an hour later it became clear they were not alone.

He smelled them, their desperation, their pain, their hunger. They were running at them, caring not for stealth. They wanted only blood, meat, and bone. They wished to crush and consume their prey, his mate. His slitted eyes narrowed as they cast an eerie glow into the night.

His teeth bared and he left out a howl that sounded as if he was taken by an evil spirit. An ancient feeling took hold of him and he charged forward. What came for them was a clan of foxes, and they wished to take what was his.

The rabbits and hares heard his cry echo through the night and felt a burst of fear run through them. The cry they all fear from birth, it meant danger, they needed to hurry.

Wild's cry was answered by several more, filling the night with the unholy sound. Wild did not stop, he charged forward, his teeth bared and his eyes savage. He met the first fox, one that scouts far ahead of the rest, charging right into him, he clamped his teeth around the scruff of his neck.

The fox looked at Wild in confusion and fear as it fell to the ground. Wild's claws came up and raked the other fox across the face, he yelped in pain. Wild could hear the other foxes approaching, fast now. He retreated, leaving the fox whimpering as it held its bleeding face and throat.

Wild made a large circle around where he fell the fox and waited, soon the rest would arrive.

The hares arrived just as the foxes did and they stood a mere stone throw away from each other as they each waited on the other. Then came the screams from behind.

The camp was being raided, that much was clear to Hops, but where were they. They moved in the night swift and dangerous, she sniffed the air in the middle of camp, sling in hand, searching. The torches had been lit and the warriors ran throughout the camp.

A slight hint of red and it charged her, its teeth bared, its eyes narrowed, murder in its mind. Hops let the stone in her sling fly, in an instant the fox lay dead, sprawled at her feet. For a moment her heart was struck with fear and guilt before she was knocked to the ground. Over her towered a large fox, he was full of hatred and rage for her. She struggled against him as he raised his claw, he brought it down and across her face leaving three deep gouges. She brought up her legs and kicked him as hard as she could in the chest.

He flew back and collided with a tent waiting deconstruction, moments later a tent was thrown over him.

Wild watched as the last of the foxes fled, his claws, spear, and teeth now stained with blood. Before him lay two bodies of his fellow species and twelve shocked hares. While hares and rabbits did fight and had fought foxes, and killed them before, they had never seen the ferocity with which predators fought each other. Never did they both leave as when prey jousted.

With the threat gone Wild turned and went to the camp, a clear sign of his need for training. He ran on all four as fast as he could back to her.

As he reached the camp the guards nearly went for him and speared him before he stood and his armour could be seen. He went straight to her tent, but she was not there. His nose went crazy as it searched the air, through the dust, fear, and blood. He flinched as he smelled death in the air, but it was not her, it was a fox.

He searched, running throughout the camp until he found her scent. He smelled her blood and began to panic, was he really such a failure, such a coward that as soon as he found her he would lose her.

Then in the haze of fear and confusion, he saw her, her back turned to him and clutching herself firmly. He ran to her.

Hops was shaking as she stood and slowly walked away from the trapped fox. She became aware of how close she had been to death. She held herself and stood still and silent as they dragged the wounded fox away, she remained unmoving as the night continued.

She wasn't aware of the passage of time as she stood in her own arms. Then she was spun around by large paws and came face to face with a fox.

She flinched and cried out, not a scream, but a whimper. Her body cowering in shock.

It was enough for Wild.

He recoiled in shock, his eyes widening as he backed away from her. She was afraid of him.

He looked at his paws covered in blood, his snout and face likewise the same. He looked at her and saw that while her face has begun to soften her nose was still twitching. He ran.

He ran and kept running, to the edge of camp and away from any rabbit. As he reached the edge of the camp, he looked back once before he continued.

She was afraid, he had terrified her because of what he was. She had seen him for what he was for the first time since they had met. He sat now at the foot of a tree staring into the sky as he held her flower in his hands. His heart weighed heavy in his chest as he twirled the pink symbol of her love in his hands. A love he now knew was based on a lie she had convinced herself of, and he had blindly followed suit. As he sat under the tree he wept.

"What troubles you, my son?"

Wild shot up and searched around him, he saw no mammal. He had heard a voice, but he saw no speaker. Then from up among the grass rose a serpent, it studied him carefully, flicking its tongue in the air.

"Tell me, child."

It spoke, and Wild fell beneath the tree in shock.

"A, a talking serpent?"

"I am not a serpent child; I merely chose this form."

Wild sat on his knees, staring up at the serpent.

"Then what are you? Who are you? Are you a spirit?"

The serpent chuckled and it seemed to fill Wild with a warm grace.

"I am that is, I am all that was and will be, and I am a helper to those in need. Are you in need child?"

Wild nodded softly, again looking at the flower in his paws. The serpent lowered itself and from him to the flower.

"Ah, the trickster in love with the meek, and you are afraid," the serpent paused and watched Wild wince, "You are afraid of yourself, why do you all doubt me? You are not made to be a beast unless that is what you chose, you do not need to hate yourself child."

The serpent brought its tail up and raised Wilds head by the chin.

"You have been brought together to serve a purpose far greater than you can imagine. You hold a great place in the story of this world my son, a place that will, if you accept it, change the course of this tale. But you must accept her."

The serpent reached down and plucked a small daisy from the earth.

"I shall make this easy for you. You think of yourself as a savage beast, she thinks of you as a friend and mate." The serpent blew on the daisy, turning it to a dark shade of blue. He placed the blue flower into Wild's paw, the new flower had an ominous glow.

"Now you have two flowers, one for her and one for you. You may now choose, do you wish to become the savage you see yourself as, then eat the flower I have given you. Or would you rather take up the mantle presented to you and change the world with her?"

The serpent waited for Wild's answer as he looked from one flower to the other.

"I wish to be with her."

The serpent smiled warmly.

"Then throw the other down, release yourself."

Wild threw the blue flower to the ground and placed her flower back amongst his armour.

"Now go to her, and be fulfilled."

Wild went to thank the serpent, but it had disappeared, had it been there at all, had he been sleeping? He looked as the sun began to rise and he made his way back to the camp, back to her.

The Spirit watched him as he left, turning to the tree he waved his hand over it. From the base of the tree sprung forth a bed of blue flowers.

"So that everyone may have the choice, let them be wise in their making of it."

Wild made his journey back, he had wandered farther than he had realized. His guts were burning with worry and care, what could he say, what would she do.

As the sun poked its head over the lip of the world, smiling carelessly down upon them, he crossed the land and entered the camp.

Wild slunk through the camp and avoided the stares and words of hares and rabbits. He made his way to her tent to see it guarded by two hares, as he approached they raised their spears at him.

"Stay homba, you cannot enter."

Wild froze, he felt a sorrow rise in him, she feared him this much. His sorrow changed as he stood before the hares, he had killed for this clan, he had given to them. An anger rose in him as he started forward.

Perhaps these hares needed a reminder as to who was who.

He bared down on the hares, drilling into them with his eyes, the hares began to shake ever so slightly. No matter their training a fox was a born killer, born to kill them. Wild had known this before he had let himself be so foolishly seduced, and he flinched as he realized he would do it again. He had forgotten the words so quickly, the promise he had been given.

"I must see the Rah."

"You will see no one homba."

Wild had no time for this, he had a message, a message that could bring peace. He had his promise.

"Let me pass, let me see them."

The flap of the tent opened and she emerged, her face bandaged and her eyes full of confusion. The confusion changed to fire when she saw him, turning to the hares she kicked the nearest one in the shin. The surprised hare tumbled and gripped his leg in pain.

"Do not dare prevent him from seeing me."

Her voice was so full of venom that it warmed Wild's heart, he stepped forward towards her. She greeted him with outstretched arms, they embraced softly as she led him into the tent. There sat the Rah on a small wooden seat, he looked up at Wild as he entered.

"Ah, so you have returned, we were worried for you."

"I can bring peace," Wild said quickly, the Rah raised his eyebrows, Wild continued, "I have seen the Great Spirit, he has touched me."

The silence was deafening, it was followed by planning, discussing and meditation by the Rah. They now knew what they must do, and Wild knew if he was wrong, he would doom this whole clan to death.

Wild walked back to his own tent, his heart and mind heavy. He was about to change everything, to add a new chapter to an ancient book. Was he right, could he do this? Then the voice, calm and warm came to him again.

"Fear not child, for I am with you, I have brought you through your life, through all your hardships and toils. I will give you the way, my hands will guide you. Your path will be guarded and I will be your vanguard. Sleep now, and fear not."

Wild still feared if he was wrong. What if the voice was wrong, if it was a hidden evil, no it was too warm. He drifted to sleep.

Authors Note: And so we step into the realm of Mythos. Wild is about to begin the odyssey that will lead all of mammalkind into a new era. What lays in store for this great Exodus and what will the creatures of the evil ones do to stop them? Such a life is rarely lived and can weigh heavy on the shoulders of those chosen, both Wild and Hops. For they both have a part to play, their destinies dance beside each other in unison.


End file.
